Forget fasting, 'time-restricted feeding' is the way to double fat loss, study finds

An early breakfast and a late dinner could help promote fat loss. [Photo: Getty]

For years now, dieticians and weight loss experts have touted the benefits of intermittent fasting for its body fat-burning qualities.

First there was the revolutionary 5:2 diet, which involved eating normally for five days of the week, before restricting calories for the other two.

Since, there have been similar iterations such as the 4:3 diet, the 6:1, and the 16:8, all with different intensities but the same rules.

However, for some, the idea of eating just 500 calories over the course of an entire day can seem punishing at best, proven weight-loss or not.

Well instead of fasting, how about ‘time-restricted feeding‘? Because according to new research, the new method could double fat loss.

According to the Independent, a 10-week study conducted by the University of Surrey took participants and split them into two groups. Participants could eat what they wanted as long as it was in a specific time window.

The first group could eat their meals as normal, but the the second group had to eat their breakfast 90 minutes earlier and their dinner 90 minutes later than normal.

During the study, participants completed diet diaries and gave blood samples.

At the end, the results found that the second group, who stuck to eating within a specific time window, lost twice as much body fat on average that the other group.

57% of these people also noticed a reduction in their food consumption after the experiment.

The results showed that those who stuck to eating within a specific window lost more than twice as much body fat on average than the control group.

However, similar to other fasting diets, over half of the participants admitted they would not be able to sustain the diet for long periods of time due to compatibility with their family or social lives.